What is mail tag? (plus free printables)

What is mail tag?

Mail tag is a fun game played between pen pals to learn more about each other.  We first learned about it through Bianca Jagoe’s Mail Tag website (where she has some gorgeous illustrated mail tag printables, plus a random request generator – check it  out!).  This is her definition of ‘what is mail tag’…

How to play a game of mail tag

1. To start a mail tag game with your pen pal, simply write and ask them to send you something back. 

This thing (or ‘request’) could be the answer to a question (or a series of questions), a list, a secret, a real-life story, or it could be something small like tea, a sample of washi tape, a train ticket from a recent journey or something more open to interpretation such as ‘something orange’!
Papered Thoughts blog has some great ideas for starters, including ‘a spray of perfume’ and ‘a list of things that make you feel cozy’.

2. Your penpal then writes back, sending whatever you have asked for and asks you for something else.

Again, this request can be something physical, like a postcard or pressed flower, or something more abstract like ‘what would you choose for your last meal’, or ‘name something in your purse that doesn’t belong there’.

3. This can continue for as long as both pen pals are happy to continue.

For younger pen pals, it can be simpler to mail two copies of a mail tag printable, one completed by you and one for the other person to complete.

Mail tag free printables

We love to play mail tag (it’s very addictive!), so we’ve made some free printables for you.  Simply click on the image above for a printable version of this one.  Listed below are our other mail tag printables (which we’ll keep updated for you)…

Mail tag printable 1
Mail tag printable 2
Mail tag printable 3
Mail tag printable 4 (mail tag for kids)

Check out the mail tag hashtag on Instagram for more inspiration & tell us below about your favourite mail tag requests…